Our team at Rockfish Games has been working together on space shooters for over ten years now, on everything from smartphones, tablets, PC, and most recently consoles. Which is why we couldn’t be more excited about the launch of Everspace on Xbox One, our very first console game that supports Xbox Play Anywhere featuring cross-saves and the ability to buy once and play anywhere with Windows 10!

Because space is a dangerous place, we would like to give aspiring space pilots some advice on how to survive in such a hostile environment filled with natural hazards, as well as various enemies like outlaws, aliens, and a mysterious space armada trying to hunt you down.

Combat in Space

Everspace is a Six Degrees of Freedom (6DoF) shooter featuring fast-paced space dogfights within dense level design at its core. It’s not only about shooting enemies, but evading enemy fire is paramount to survival as well. Keep moving and use Boost often to quickly fly around or to get out of a dense firefight. Keep in mind that shooting, using devices, and boosting drains energy; you should never enter a fight with a depleted energy core. If you’re low on energy, find a spot to hide and stand still to quickly regenerate.

One of the best tactics to defeat hostile fighters is strafing in a continuous spiral, effectively dodging incoming shots while firing at the target. Locking on a single target at a time so you know where it is will allow you to easily chase it down and keep you focused. We also recommend prioritizing on drones first as they deal a lot of damage, but have few hit points.

A great strategy to use at the beginning of Everspace is to use the Pulse Laser to bring down enemy shields, then quickly change to the Gatling Gun to deal massive damage to the hull. Don’t forget to use missiles as well when the enemy’s shields are down. One Light Missile can destroy a standard fighter and you can craft new missiles on the fly if you have the right resources on board.

Throughout your journey you will find lots of different weapons and devices. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try them out, as you may find that some could be very handy in certain situations. Understanding their strengths and weaknesses is important as you never know what to expect next in Everspace.

If you are outnumbered, lure enemies to minefields, black holes or neutral units’ territory. You could take the easy way out by hyper-jumping away, but you’ll miss out on loot once the battle is over (more on that below). And most importantly, keep an eye on your fuel gauge so you can always leave the current location and don’t forget to immediately hack jump suppressors when you come across them.

Loot, Repair, and Craft

Although there is a lot of combat in Everspace, collecting resources, credits, blueprints, and other items is the key to your success. Examine large asteroids for crystals and station wrecks for containers. If you have a scanning probe, use it upon entering a new location or look out for a Comm Hub to gain intel about hidden loot within the current location. Keep in mind you might draw the attention of enemies by doing so. Just like any other consumable, you can craft new Scanning Probes on the fly.

Also, always keep an eye on your ship’s condition and use nanobots and resources to repair critical systems first, then your hull. As crafting plays an important role in Everspace, experiment with weapon and device mods to cater to your play style. Blueprints carry over after you die so collect as many as you can. And always, always, make sure your fuel tank is full. If you can’t get enough fuel from your fallen enemies, use Service Stations, or as a last resort, blow up fuel tanks to fill up your Jumpdrive.

Death is the Start of a Larger Journey

You will die a lot in Everspace. No matter how much of a skilled pilot you are, get over it. You are a clone so you will always get a new life to make it further the next time. And the time after that. Not all will be lost when you die, and you can spend Credits you collected during your life to permanently upgrade your ship to improve your chances going forward

We recommend upgrading Shields, Energy Core, and Hull first. You’ll be surprised how much better you perform in combat after just a few upgrades. To earn more Credits and to afford high-priced perks, invest in your Loot Chance and Loot Amount after you make the upgrades mentioned earlier. Unlocking more weapon and equipment slots will have a big impact on your mid-game experience.

Once you have developed a healthy income, it might be worth looking at purchases other ships. One of them, the Colonial Scout, will be available in the coming weeks and is much smaller than the current Colonial Interceptor. It will feature extreme maneuverability, a higher top speed, but a weaker hull. It will also come with a sophisticated cloaking device and sniper weapons as starting gear. The Scout will be followed by the Colonial Gunship which will be the slowest of the three ships, with a stronger hull and an upgradable turret.

We hope you find these tips helpful and will enjoy playing Everspace. If you’re looking for further tips and strategies, in particular how to deal with capital ships, head to the Everspace forum and learn from veteran pilots who have clocked over 100 hours in our game. For the very latest news, follow us on Twitter and on Facebook.